optional
left to one's choice; not required or mandatory: Formal dress is optional.
leaving something to choice.
Origin of optional
1Other words for optional
Other words from optional
- op·tion·al·i·ty, noun
- op·tion·al·ly, adverb
- non·op·tion·al, adjective
- non·op·tion·al·ly, adverb
- un·op·tion·al, adjective
- un·op·tion·al·ly, adverb
Words Nearby optional
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use optional in a sentence
The Streambar includes all necessary cables as well as a dedicated Roku remote control, and an optional dedicated subwoofer bundle is also available for those who want to push their sound even further.
The best, most practical Valentine’s Day gifts for any kind of partner | PopSci Commerce Team | February 8, 2021 | Popular-ScienceEach hut accommodates 12 riders and has a grill, an e-bike charging station, and optional beer delivery.
In December, though, Borden told KPBS the union would negotiate to keep teachers who declined a vaccine employed, and she this month signaled her support for keeping them optional during a hearing before a state Senate education hearing.
Morning Report: How Vaccines and New Rules Impact School Reopenings | Voice of San Diego | January 27, 2021 | Voice of San DiegoHowever, as masks are optional, you may not want to accept anyway.
Miss Manners: Bossy invitation offends guests | Judith Martin, Nicholas Martin, Jacobina Martin | January 20, 2021 | Washington PostEven before the pandemic, the subject tests and the optional essay were losing influence.
College Board is scrapping SAT’s optional essay and subject tests | Nick Anderson | January 19, 2021 | Washington Post
Sure, taking sexy pictures—like having sex itself—is, technically speaking, optional.
In Defense of Nude Selfies: Don’t Shame ‘The Fappening’ Victims | Amanda Marcotte | September 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTVan Zant was echoing a growing sentiment of paranoia and fear sparked by the optional public education standards program.
Fringe Factor: The Common Core Will Turn Your Kids as Gay as Possible | Caitlin Dickson | May 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen I ask why she wears a veil in a society where it's optional, Sakdiyah explains how it frees her.
Preparing for retirement is “the why of politics, not merely optional dirty work.”
Then you may be delighted to learn that the essay portion of the SAT is now optional.
On nearly all railways retirement is optional at sixty and compulsory at sixty-five.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowLocal school and capitation taxes were optional with each county and public school district.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia | Dorothy M. TorpeyAfter they have a school certificate, entrance to the works is optional.
A Journey Through France in War Time | Joseph G. Butler, Jr.It is entirely optional; you have only to take it quietly or go to jail.
A Confederate Girl's Diary | Sarah Margan DawsonCivil engineering and political economy are the only optional studies with the women.
The College, the Market, and the Court | Caroline H. Dall
British Dictionary definitions for optional
/ (ˈɒpʃənəl) /
possible but not compulsory; left to personal choice
Derived forms of optional
- optionally, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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